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Toxics
Special Issues
Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water
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Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Toxicity Reduction and Environmental Remediation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 6197

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wojciech Baran

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Guest Editor
Department of General and Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Silesia, Poland
Interests: residues of pharmaceuticals in the environment; wastewater treatment; photocatalysis; advanced oxidation processes; ecotoxicology
Dr. Ewa Adamek

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Guest Editor
Department of General and Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Silesia, Poland
Interests: residues of pharmaceuticals in the environment; wastewater treatment; photocatalysis; advanced oxidation processes; ecotoxicology
Dr. Maria Antonopoulou

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Guest Editor
Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, GR-30131 Agrinio, Greece
Interests: photocatalysis; visible-light photocatalysts; water treatment; hybrid systems; decontamination; detoxification; reactive species; transformation products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the negative effects of civilization’s development is an increase in the number of pharmaceuticals entering the environment. Many of these substances are characterized by high persistence and resistance to degradation in the environment, high biological activity (toxicity, mutagenicity, and ecotoxicity), the ability to accumulate in food chains, the ability to easily and quickly spread in the environment, and high and constantly growing consumption.

After entering the environment, residues of drugs or metabolites can affect various types of environmental organisms. For example, they can eliminate the strains of microbes particularly sensitive to antibiotics and can therefore become promoters of drug resistance. Due to these features, pharmaceuticals contained in waste and sewage are considered particularly dangerous pollutants.

The effect of complete elimination of anthropogenic pharmaceuticals from the environment can be achieved using destructive methods, for example, photocatalytic degradation.

However, despite the repeatedly verified, theoretically high efficiency, there are still many problems that inhibit the practical application of photocatalysis in wastewater treatment processes.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the use of photocatalytic processes to remove pharmaceuticals residues from the aqueous environment.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wojciech Baran
Dr. Ewa Adamek
Dr. Maria Antonopoulou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photocatalysis
  • wastewater treatment
  • pharmaceuticals
  • antibiotics
  • ecotoxicity
  • quantum efficiency
  • photocatalytic process
  • pollutant degradation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4624 KiB  
Article
Influence of pH on the Kinetics and Products of Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfonamides in Aqueous Solutions
by Dominika Sapińska, Ewa Adamek, Ewa Masternak, Wioleta Zielińska-Danch and Wojciech Baran
Toxics 2022, 10(11), 655; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10110655 - 29 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1355
Abstract
The aims of the study were to determine the kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation of six sulfonamides in the presence of TiO2-P25 in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions and to identify the structures of the stable products. It was stated that [...] Read more.
The aims of the study were to determine the kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation of six sulfonamides in the presence of TiO2-P25 in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions and to identify the structures of the stable products. It was stated that the pH of the solution significantly affected the photocatalytic degradation rate of sulfonamides in acidic and alkaline environments, and the effect likely depended on the susceptibility of sulfonamides to attack by hydroxyl radicals. In the post-reaction mixture, we identified the compounds resulting from the substitution of the aromatic rings with a hydroxyl group; the amide hydrolysis products; the hydroxylamine-, azo, and nitro derivatives; and the compounds formed via the elimination of the sulfone group. Moreover, previously unknown azo compounds were detected. Some degradation products of sulfonamides may exhibit marked bacteriostatic activity and high phytotoxicity. The azo and nitro compounds formed in an acidic environment may be potentially more toxic to aquatic ecosystems than the initial compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water)
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13 pages, 2427 KiB  
Article
Degradation of Carbamazepine from Aqueous Solutions via TiO2-Assisted Photo Catalyze
by Mirela Alina Constantin, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Stefania Gheorghe and Lucian Alexandru Constantin
Toxics 2022, 10(4), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10040168 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2054
Abstract
Photocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) from spiked aqueous solutions, via a UV/TiO2 system, was investigated, and the optimum photocatalyst type (P25 Degussa) and dose (500 mg/L), as well as irradiation time (45 min), were established. The degradation process kinetics was studied, and [...] Read more.
Photocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) from spiked aqueous solutions, via a UV/TiO2 system, was investigated, and the optimum photocatalyst type (P25 Degussa) and dose (500 mg/L), as well as irradiation time (45 min), were established. The degradation process kinetics was studied, and a degradation rate constant of 3.14 × 10−5 M min−1 was calculated for CBZ, using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood equation. Experiments performed in the presence of scavengers showed that the main reactive species involved in the degradation process are holes and free hydroxyl radicals; superoxide radicals also play a role in CBZ degradation. Eight transformation products of CBZ were identified, and a possible degradation pathway, consisting of four routes, was proposed. Toxicity and genotoxicity tests were also performed for both untreated and treated CBZ solutions, proving that the use of a UV/TiO2 system represents a suitable treatment approach for aqueous systems with CBZ content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water)
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Review

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17 pages, 1767 KiB  
Review
Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Photocatalysis for the Treatment of Pharmaceutical Industry Wastewaters: A Review
by Maria Antonopoulou
Toxics 2022, 10(9), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10090539 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2201
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals are biologically active compounds used for therapeutical purposes in humans and animals. Pharmaceuticals enter water bodies in various ways and are detected at concentrations of ng L−1–μg L−1. Their presence in the environment, and especially long-term pollution, can [...] Read more.
Pharmaceuticals are biologically active compounds used for therapeutical purposes in humans and animals. Pharmaceuticals enter water bodies in various ways and are detected at concentrations of ng L−1–μg L−1. Their presence in the environment, and especially long-term pollution, can cause toxic effects on the aquatic ecosystems. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the main sources introducing these compounds in aquatic systems through the disposal of untreated or partially treated wastewaters produced during the different procedures in the manufacturing process. Pharmaceutical industry wastewaters contain numerous pharmaceutical compounds and other chemicals and are characterized by high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The toxic and recalcitrant nature of this type of wastewater hinders conventional biological processes, leading to its ineffective treatment. Consequently, there is an urgent demand for the development and application of more efficient methods for the treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewaters. In this context, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as promising technologies for the treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewaters through contaminant removal, toxicity reduction as well as biodegradability improvement. Therefore, a comprehensive literature study was conducted to review the recent published works dealing with the application of heterogeneous and homogeneous photocatalysis for pharmaceutical industry wastewater treatment as well as the advances in the field. The efficiency of the studied AOPs to treat the wastewaters is assessed. Special attention is also devoted to the coupling of these processes with other conventional methods. Simultaneously with their efficiency, the cost estimation of individual and integrated processes is discussed. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the processes, as well as their perspectives, are addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water)
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